Bronze medallist Chanel Veldsman qualifies third for the women's 100m breaststroke final, Algeria's Houd Abed reaches his second backstroke final of the Games, and Tunisia's Ilef Omri and Kenya's Jeremy Rieck wait as first reserves, as 37 African swimmers from 24 nations race the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke heats
DAKAR, Senegal, Tuesday 3 November 2026 – Less than a day after winning bronze in the 200m breaststroke, Chanel Veldsman was back in the water and back among the fastest in the field. The South African qualified third for the women's 100m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in 1:10.93, setting up a rematch with Japan's 200m champion Ishikawa Mana in this afternoon's final.
Algeria's Houd Abed will join her. Fifth in the 200m backstroke final on Sunday, the 16-year-old took the last place in the men's 100m backstroke final in 58.73.
Africa came close to more. Tunisia's Ilef Omri missed the women's 100m breaststroke final by just eight hundredths of a second, and Kenya's Jeremy Rieck missed the men's 100m backstroke final by 0.42. Both are first reserves. In all, 37 African swimmers from 24 nations raced across the four events at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf.
Veldsman Sets Up The Rematch
Veldsman swam in the same heat as Ishikawa, who beat her to 200m breaststroke gold on Monday. The South African turned in 33.38, the second-fastest opening 50m of all 25 swimmers, behind only Ishikawa (33.11). She came home in 37.55 to finish second in the heat in 1:10.93, 0.97 behind Ishikawa (1:09.96). Only Ishikawa and Hong Kong's Man Wui Kiu (1:10.70) were faster.
With a 200m bronze already won, Veldsman goes into the final as Africa's best chance of a fourth swimming medal.
Omri: Eight Hundredths Away
Tunisia's Ilef Omri, sixth in the 200m breaststroke final on Monday, had the fastest reaction in the event (0.61). She finished fourth in Veldsman's heat in 1:14.75, ninth overall, just 0.08 behind Lebanon's Thea Obeid in eighth. She is first reserve for the final.
Behind her, Madagascar's Oceane Rakotonanahary (12th, 1:17.47) and Algeria's Rahma Benmahammed (14th, 1:17.81), fifth in Monday's 200m breaststroke final, led the rest of the African field. Zambia's Sibongile Miti (16th, 1:19.96), Uganda's Mary Peyton Suubi (17th, 1:20.12) and Kenya's Macrine Kalombo (20th, 1:23.33) followed. Guinea's Marie Mebelle Camara won the first heat in 1:34.77, only 0.03 ahead of Ethiopia's Elham Hussien (1:34.80), with Benin's Etoile Agbodjogbe third in 1:37.90. Ten African nations were represented in a field of 25.
Abed: A Second Backstroke Final
In the men's 100m backstroke, Abed swam the third heat and was second behind Portugal's Miguel Reis Oliveira. He turned in 28.52 and came home in 30.21, the strongest second 50m of the African swimmers, to touch in 58.73. It gave him eighth place overall and a place in a second backstroke final in three days. Ukraine's Kyrylo Malesyk, who finished sixth behind him in the 200m backstroke final, was again behind him here in 59.19.
Rieck And Esterhuizen Just Short
Kenya's Jeremy Rieck, sixth in the men's 100m butterfly final on Sunday, went out fastest of the African swimmers in 28.08. He finished ninth overall in 59.15, 0.42 outside the final and 0.04 ahead of Malesyk, which makes him first reserve.
Namibia's Lorenzo Esterhuizen was 11th in 59.51, the first swimmer outside the reserves, after turning in 28.11. Nigeria's Aidan Dumuje-Abili, 15, had one of the fastest reactions in the field (0.56) and was 13th in 1:00.79.
Angola's Carlos Fernandes (25th, 1:06.11), Cabo Verde's Myles Goncalves (26th, 1:06.53), Senegal's Rassoul Leye (27th, 1:07.10) and Ethiopia's B.H. Gebreyohannes (28th, 1:12.52) completed the African field.
Women's 100m Backstroke: Matyayi Leads Eight Nations
Namibia's Roselinda Matyayi, an 8th-place finisher in Sunday's 200m backstroke final, was the fastest African in the women's 100m backstroke, 15th in 1:08.41.
Senegal's Seyni Fagueye Ndiaye, 16, gave the home crowd something to cheer: her 0.54 reaction was the joint-fastest in the field, and she finished 23rd in 1:10.54. Cabo Verde's Kaila Dacruz was 22nd in 1:10.07 and Tanzania's Filbertha Demello 24th in 1:14.65.
Ghana's Mercedes Abdallah, 15 and the youngest swimmer in the event, won the first heat in 1:15.51 ahead of Angola's Maria Parimbelli (1:16.47), Comoros' K.M.T. Ibrahim (1:21.09) and Côte d'Ivoire's Malika Erina Aidy Camara (1:23.63).
Men's 100m Breaststroke: Thirteen Nations, One Near Miss
Africa's biggest contingent of the morning was in the men's 100m breaststroke, with 13 swimmers from 13 nations in a field of 29. Morocco's Mohamed Taj Eddine Larhlimi, an 8th-place finisher in Monday's 200m breaststroke final, was the fastest of them, 11th in 1:05.61 and 1.49 outside the final.
Senegal's Nael Voisin, 17, was right behind him in 12th (1:06.86), the best result yet by a home swimmer in our coverage. Namibia's Nathan Bock (14th, 1:07.87) and Kenya's Neo Olengo (15th, 1:08.49, reaction 0.61) followed, with Eswatini's Luca Fraser 17th in 1:09.17. Ghana's Tamba Akin Boamah had the joint-fastest reaction in the field (0.60), and Libya's Yousef Elwalid won the first heat in 1:13.65.
Malawi's Tasunje Mkavea (19th, 1:10.15), Tanzania's Austin Okore (23rd, 1:12.41), Angola's Carlos Fernandes (26th, 1:21.86), Guinea's Mohamed Hady Fofana (27th, 1:22.97), Ethiopia's B.H. Gebreyohannes (28th, 1:25.63) and Burundi's Ariel Hakim Nkurunziza (29th, 1:25.76) completed the field.
Looking Ahead To The Afternoon Finals
Veldsman in the women's 100m breaststroke and Abed in the men's 100m backstroke carry Africa's hopes into this afternoon's finals, with Omri and Rieck ready as first reserves. The swimming programme at Dakar 2026 continues at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf.
Results: African Swimmers – Day 3 Heats
African Finalists And Reserves
| Event | Swimmer | NOC | Heats Rank | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100m Breaststroke | Chanel VELDSMAN | RSA | 3 | 1:10.93 | Final |
| Men's 100m Backstroke | Houd ABED | ALG | 8 | 58.73 | Final |
| Women's 100m Breaststroke | Ilef OMRI | TUN | 9 | 1:14.75 | Reserve 1 |
| Men's 100m Backstroke | Jeremy RIECK | KEN | 9 | 59.15 | Reserve 1 |
Women's 100m Backstroke – Heats
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Roselinda MATYAYI | NAM | 16 | 3 (2) | 31.75 | 1:08.41 |
| 22 | Kaila DACRUZ | CPV | 15 | 4 (1) | 32.96 | 1:10.07 |
| 23 | Seyni Fagueye NDIAYE | SEN | 16 | 3 (8) | 33.85 | 1:10.54 |
| 24 | Filbertha DEMELLO | TAN | 17 | 4 (8) | 35.04 | 1:14.65 |
| 25 | Mercedes ABDALLAH | GHA | 15 | 1 (5) | 35.00 | 1:15.51 |
| 26 | Maria PARIMBELLI | ANG | 15 | 1 (4) | 36.26 | 1:16.47 |
| 27 | K.M.T. IBRAHIM | COM | 17 | 1 (6) | 39.47 | 1:21.09 |
| 28 | Malika Erina Aidy CAMARA | CIV | 16 | 1 (3) | 39.45 | 1:23.63 |
Final cut-off: 1:05.47 (8th). Field: 29.
Men's 100m Backstroke – Heats
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Q | Houd ABED | ALG | 16 | 3 (6) | 28.52 | 58.73 |
| 9 R | Jeremy RIECK | KEN | 16 | 4 (2) | 28.08 | 59.15 |
| 11 | Lorenzo ESTERHUIZEN | NAM | 17 | 3 (3) | 28.11 | 59.51 |
| 13 | Aidan DUMUJE-ABILI | NGR | 15 | 4 (8) | 29.54 | 1:00.79 |
| 25 | Carlos FERNANDES | ANG | 17 | 2 (8) | 31.57 | 1:06.11 |
| 26 | Myles GONCALVES | CPV | 16 | 1 (4) | 31.83 | 1:06.53 |
| 27 | Rassoul LEYE | SEN | 16 | 1 (3) | 31.73 | 1:07.10 |
| 28 | B.H. GEBREYOHANNES | ETH | 17 | 1 (6) | 33.83 | 1:12.52 |
Final cut-off: 58.73 (8th). Field: 29.
Women's 100m Breaststroke – Heats
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Q | Chanel VELDSMAN | RSA | 17 | 4 (5) | 33.38 | 1:10.93 |
| 9 R | Ilef OMRI | TUN | 16 | 4 (2) | 34.56 | 1:14.75 |
| 12 | Oceane RAKOTONANAHARY | MAD | 15 | 4 (6) | 36.14 | 1:17.47 |
| 14 | Rahma BENMAHAMMED | ALG | 16 | 2 (2) | 36.86 | 1:17.81 |
| 16 | Sibongile MITI | ZAM | 16 | 3 (1) | 36.26 | 1:19.96 |
| 17 | Mary Peyton SUUBI | UGA | 16 | 2 (7) | 38.05 | 1:20.12 |
| 20 | Macrine KALOMBO | KEN | 16 | 2 (1) | 38.84 | 1:23.33 |
| 23 | Marie Mebelle CAMARA | GUI | 15 | 1 (3) | 42.84 | 1:34.77 |
| 24 | Elham HUSSIEN | ETH | 17 | 1 (4) | 43.22 | 1:34.80 |
| 25 | Etoile AGBODJOGBE | BEN | 16 | 1 (5) | 46.03 | 1:37.90 |
Final cut-off: 1:14.67 (8th). Field: 25.
Men's 100m Breaststroke – Heats
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Mohamed Taj Eddine LARHLIMI | MAR | 17 | 4 (6) | 30.61 | 1:05.61 |
| 12 | Nael VOISIN | SEN | 17 | 4 (1) | 30.73 | 1:06.86 |
| 14 | Nathan BOCK | NAM | 17 | 4 (7) | 30.94 | 1:07.87 |
| 15 | Neo OLENGO | KEN | 16 | 3 (2) | 31.67 | 1:08.49 |
| 17 | Luca FRASER | SWZ | 16 | 3 (7) | 31.71 | 1:09.17 |
| 19 | Tasunje MKAVEA | MAW | 16 | 2 (1) | 33.20 | 1:10.15 |
| 21 | Tamba Akin BOAMAH | GHA | 16 | 4 (8) | 33.08 | 1:11.96 |
| 23 | Austin OKORE | TAN | 17 | 3 (8) | 33.16 | 1:12.41 |
| 24 | Yousef ELWALID | LBA | 16 | 1 (5) | 35.01 | 1:13.65 |
| 26 | Carlos FERNANDES | ANG | 17 | 2 (8) | 38.34 | 1:21.86 |
| 27 | Mohamed Hady FOFANA | GUI | 16 | 1 (2) | 38.80 | 1:22.97 |
| 28 | B.H. GEBREYOHANNES | ETH | 17 | 1 (3) | 38.81 | 1:25.63 |
| 29 | Ariel Hakim NKURUNZIZA | BDI | 17 | 1 (6) | 40.27 | 1:25.76 |
Final cut-off: 1:04.12 (8th). Field: 29.
Session Participation
| Event | African Swimmers | Field | African Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100m Backstroke | 8 | 29 | 0 |
| Men's 100m Backstroke | 8 | 29 | 1 |
| Women's 100m Breaststroke | 10 | 25 | 1 |
| Men's 100m Breaststroke | 13 | 29 | 0 |
| Total (swims) | 39 | 112 | 2 |
37 individual African swimmers (Carlos Fernandes and B.H. Gebreyohannes swam two events each) from 24 nations: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia.
African Swimming Medal Tracker – Dakar 2026 (Cumulative)
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Africa Total | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Ages as at 3 November 2026, from dates of birth on the results.
Sources: Official Results, Events 11–14, Heats, Dakar 2026 (Tuesday 3 November 2026).
